2 comments about Remnants of Crypto-Jews Among Hispanic Americans.

1. The interview and photographs of the people in Gloria Golden's book Remnants of Crypto-Jews Among Hispanic Americans show a special dedication to the story these unique people have to tell. Careful attention to detail make their stories very enlightening. The photographs help the reader make the human connections to each story.
   I am of Sephardic ancestry on my father's side with his ancestors leaving Spain during the Inquisition and settling in Turkey. Our family was fortunate and never had to question our Jewish background as the Crypto-Jews do.
   After reading Gloria Golden's book I was able to get an insight into an unusual and often difficult transition these people of Jewish ancestry had to face when they found out about their Jewish heritage.
   Gloria Golden's book not only informs but also shows in a very dramatic way, how these Hispanic Americans are coping with their identity crisis.
   
   Nadine Behar Ellman



2. For many years I have followed the career of prize-winning photographer Gloria Golden, and I consider her a great artist. In her new book, Golden has transcended the world of the visual arts and become an important scholar, photojournalist, and chronicler of Jewish history. Despite the many chronicles that fill CRYPTO-JEWS with human interest, both the book's opening essay and its compelling accounts of Golden's interviews with southwestern American Crypto-Jews embrace an impressive range of intellectual disciplines, Jewish history, world history, sociology and anthropology among them.
   
   Though this landmark study will appeal to scholars, Golden's absorbing page-turner reads like fiction. Anyone fascinated by the human condition should purchase this gem of a book. I look forward to reading more of Golden's writing.

5 comments about Aman: The Story of a Somali Girl.

1. I love the book one of my favorites but it took quite a while to get there. Other than that, I am pleased.



2. If you are looking for well written literature, this is not you.
   It has some interesting cultural observations, but it is important not to generalise that the cultural practices described in this book are true of all Somali women.
   I have known, and been friends with, a number of Somali women who have not experienced the horrific practices described in this book.



3. Aman takes you through all the good and bad traditions of her country! If you like to travel to Somalia but you can never make it, read this book!



4. I began reading this book for a research project and became enraptured. It will transport you to the time and place Aman speaks of. Not only did i fall in love with her story and the charaters in the story, but two years later, many of the historical facts and truths of somalia have really stuck with me. Poignant and at times painful, this book is unforgatable and enlightening.



5. I thought this book was very unrealistic and insulting,for one thing the girl's name is spelt wrong.i had trouble finishing off the book because it was so boring overall I thought this book was a waste of paper.

2 comments about Spike Lee: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series).

1. This book gave me more insight into the man behind some of my favorite films of all-time. There are a lot of his films I have not seen yet, but after reading the many interviews and getting more out of Lee than ever, I'm motivated to own all of his films. It was cool to see how he comes up with his scripts, some of the challenges he faced in bringing them to life, and some of the criticizing he gets constantly about him, and not his work. He seems to be very aware of who he is and is also aware of the fact he cannot do this alone. He gives props to people throughout the interviews, from the woman who plays Nola in "She's Gotta Have It" to Ernest Dickerson, to Jada Pinkett Smith, to John Singleton, and so on. The one thing I gained more than anything though is he really makes people think when you watch his movies and when you hear or read what he has to say. Love him or hate him, you have to respect him. I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of his work and to people who may not know much about him other than what is seen in the media.



2. Shelton Lee is the most controversial film maker of his time because his work defies convention and upsets the conventional values of Hollywood. The spotlight has shone on Spike Lee since his "She's Gotta Have It" exploded on the screen. Spike Lee is a film maker par excellence and is this book we get an opportunity to hear his voice dealing with the entire corpus of his work since 2001.

   Spike Lee Interviews is a collection of interviews dating from 1986 through 2001. They are originally reprinted in the form in which they appeared; hardcopy, television and on line. In them we get to hear the ideas, opinions and reflections that Lee has about his craft, the criticism of his work and the need to confront the racist myths prevelant in the film industry. His words are sharp, biting and reflective.

   In perusing this book you will see the development of Lee as a film maker and astute businessman. He refuses to co-op his integrity with Hollywood depictions of Blacks and yet he is able to use Hollywood to get some of his pictures made. Lee also uses unusual ideas and film techniques that many of his peers won't touch. He is not afraid to be uncoventional in his story telling nor in his use of new technological forms.

   I enjoyed his repartee with the interviewers regarding his controversial image. Spike says his critics need to look at his work rather than him. He doesn't mind talking about his beloved Knicks but moves beyond the game and tells about the exploitation of players and the system. He admits his mistakes in portraying Black women as one dimensional.

   In reading this book you will get a multideminsional view of a film maker who has opened a new chapter in African American cinematography. Lee picks up the ball where others left off and challenges the whole idea of what it means to make a film. You will enjoy his ideas and have a deeper appreciation of his work.

5 comments about A Kind of Grace: The Autobiography of the World's Greatest Female Athlete.

1. Jackie Joyner-Kersee elaborately describes the struggles and obstacles that she had to overcome to become a successful and outstanding athlete and person. Her book is filled with emotions that the reader can intially relate to. Her life was filled with adversity and proves that a strong and self-determined person can triumph regardless of depressing and self-destructing obstacles that may stand in your way. Jackie, who is portrayed through the media to be "Superwoman" is really more human and down to the earth than most of the world. Life for Jackie was not always "peaches and cream." She was born and raised in East St. Louis, which was not known as a very safe place at the time. A reporter once suggested to Jackie that she should not tell people where she was from cause it might destroy her image. This event, however, made Jackie appreciate her hometown even more. You cannot put into words why this woman is thought of as superb. She went from rock bottom to soaring to the unlimited top. With the help of this book, Jackie's title as "The World's Greatest Female Athlete" has been justified.



2. Jackie Joyner-Kersee elaborately describes the struggles and obstacles that she had to overcome to become a successful and outstanding athlete and person. Her book is filled with emotions that the reader can intially relate to. Her life was filled with adversity and proves that a strong and self-determined person can triumph regardless of depressing and self-destructing obstacles that may stand in your way. Jackie, who is portrayed through the media to be "Superwoman" is really more human and down to the earth than most of the world. Life for Jackie was not always "peaches and cream." She was born and raised in East St. Louis, which was not known as a very safe place at the time. A reporter once suggested to Jackie that she should not tell people where she was from cause it might destroy her image. This event, however, made Jackie appreciate her hometown even more. You cannot put into words why this woman is thought of as superb. She went from rock bottom to soaring to the unlimited top. With the help of this book, Jackie's title as "The World's Greatest Female Athlete" has been justified.



3. Jackie Joyner-Kersee elaborately describes the struggles and obstacles that she had to overcome to become a successful and outstanding athlete and person. Her book is filled with emotions that the reader can intially relate to. Her life was filled with adversity and proves that a strong and self-determined person can triumph regardless of depressing and self-destructing obstacles that may stand in your way. Jackie, who is portrayed through the media to be "Superwoman" is really more human and down to the earth than most of the world. Life for Jackie was not always "peaches and cream." She was born and raised in East St. Louis, which was not known as a very safe place at the time. A reporter once suggested to Jackie that she should not tell people where she was from cause it might destroy her image. This event, however, made Jackie appreciate her hometown even more. You cannot put into words why this woman is thought of as superb. She went from rock bottom to soaring to the unlimited top. With the help of this book, Jackie's title as "The World's Greatest Female Athlete" has been justified.



4. A Kind of Grace is an excellent book. I think everyone should read it. It gave me a whole new look on life and how to appreciate everything I have. It also gave me inspiration to work hard at track. Now I have the heart and determination to train, lift weights, and practice, practice, practice. So everyone please buy and read this wonderful book, A Kind of Grace.



5. Jackie Joyner-Kersee's autobiography is everything a biography should be, well-written, entertaining, and deeply moving. Unlike many celebrity bios that center around events, primarily ones that reflect well on the author, Jackie's book is people-centered and equally honest about her struggles as well as her triumphs. She writes with love and admiration about many people who have touched her life both in big and small ways. It is not hard to see why Jackie became the woman and athlete that she is. This book could have just as easily been titled "The World's Greatest Role Model for Young People."

5 comments about I Never Walked Alone: The Autobiography of an American Singer.

1. "[My husband] Lou [Lo Monaco] and I invited Leontyne Price over for dinner at our apartment in New York City one evening [in 1965], before our upcoming engagement in La Scala. The other soloists were Leontyne; a young and upcoming tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, and bass Nicolai Ghiaurov...When we arrived in Italy, we found a whole 'can of worms'...When I look back on it, I must have made a terrible impression on Maestro [Herbert] von Karajan...but I felt I had good cause..."
   
   "Performing contemporary music was my next challenge...starting with OEDIPUS REX...The maestro [Igor Stravinsky] was very cordial at our first meeting and also liked what I did musically...In fact, he called me his 'ideal Jocasta,' a real compliment coming from a great living composer...
   
   "I recalled Stravinsky's comment[s]...he told me 'All of those notations that I put in the score are for idiots...You're [singing Jocasta] with your soul, and because you are musical...let your mind, body and senses tell you the way the music is supposed to go..."
   
   "The costume designer of the SAMSON AND DELILAH production wanted to explore the 'sensuality' of Delilah...the costumer wanted me in a sheer, see-through body stocking...I also wore two diamond shaped silver breast plates with nipples in the center of each plate. And that wasn't the worst of it..."
   
   "I gave up organized religion, although my spiritual beliefs remained rooted in the teachings of my parents...I remain a spiritual person...I still pray every day, sometimes four or five times a day...I never leave the house without a prayer. Never."
   
   Shirley Verrett
   I NEVER WALKED ALONE
   From "Turning Points,"
   "An Actor's Life," and
   "Transfigurations" respectively
   
   This is the ultimate biography for someone who has little to no interest in opera. Masterfully written, candid, informative and exciting, it reads like a well crafted novel, music history lesson and self-help book all rolled into one. When people look to female heroes in this "post-feminist" world of ours, we somehow are trained to not look at the divas of this fascinating world: Leontyne Price; Maria Callas; Joan Sutherland; Freni; Tebaldi; and so on. This scratches the surface as to what makes Shirley Verrett's autobiography so powerful, so enjoyable, and so important. When a woman of such amazing integrity--musical and life-wise--and such extraordinary gifts can reveal the aspects of her personality that could make her the enemy of many people (or at least get on the nerves of great Divas like Grace Bumbry) before she transforms her way out of them, you have the makings of a great life, and a great story about a great life.
   
   I highly reccommend this magnificent autobiography and suggest you pick a up a few of her recordings as well.



2. Shirley Verrett has written a profound, candid autobiography of her life and career as opera singer. Many singers write their own autobiographies and memoirs, among them include Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavoratti, Beverly Sills, Marilyn Horne and Joan Sutherland. Renee Fleming has also recently released her autobiography. Each singer provides us with an in-depth look at the elements that compose the opera business- from rehearsals, to facing reviews by critics, fandom, scandals, rumors, rivalries, recording sessions, the ups and downs of their careers and their personal lives. In the case of Shirley Verrett, we are treated to an uplifting and inspiring account of her life, and struggles. She's passionate, conversational, down-to-earth and very humble. I could never see her as the stereotypical diva raging and giving orders. Verrett was a classy lady, with artistic integrity, work ethics, morals and a lot of heart. From the first page to the last, we are in for a great ride and she lavishes the book with candid details and her inner thoughts on EVERYTHING. She opens up to us and we experience her life right along with her.
   
   Shirley Verrett was raised as a Seventh-Day-Adventist, a strict and religious Christian denomination which is very active in America. As such, she was raised with the idea that a career in opera, and for that matter any public career, was sinful and shallow. Though perhaps Verrett had issues with her parents, she seems to have reconciled and even made them proud, for indeed she broke barriers in the opera scene. Opera is not rock and roll. It's the highest of all the arts, since it combines music, drama, art and poetry all in one. During the early 60's, it was extremely hard for a black woman to get into opera. Nowadays, it's a field they are experts in- we have seen the success of Jessie Norman, Kathleen Battle and Denyce Graves. But in a time of racial segregation and the desperate struggles of the Civil Rights Movement, it was difficult for a black woman to make it as an opera singer, and moreover, make it to the top as a leading soprano. Verrett tells us about these times. Her idol was contralto Marian Anderson, the first black woman to break the barrier, and tells us of how she met her in person and received great advice. Leontyne Price was on the rise as a dramatiac soprano and so was Grace Bumbry, who like Verrett, started off as a mezzo-soprano. Like Bumbry, Verrett did not want to remain constricted to the mezzo-soprano repertoire, which is actually quite limited and harldy the "star" role in any opera- (Azucena in Verdi's Trovatore, Ulrica in Un Ballo, Cherubino in Mozart's Nozze Di Figaro, Amneris in Verdi's Aida, Princess Eboli in Don Carlo and of course, the inevitable Carmen). Verrett provides us with anecdotes about performing these roles.
   
   These roles Shirley Verrett mastered well, but singing the villain, or the vamp was not something she wanted to stick to. Other mezzo-sopranos, like Marilyn Horne (whom she talks about in her book, clarifying any rumors concering their clash of temperaments) got famous for using tricks to remain mezzos but still be a star- i.e. sticking to the Rossini heroines (most prominently in Semiramide but also L'Assedio Di Corinto, La Cenerentola and many other mezzo-coloratura roles. Dame Janet Baker used her mezzo voice to effectively convey religiosity and grace, while today's Cecilia Bartoli has made the mezzo voice a new form of dramatic soprano by coloring the voice with dizzying coloratura and highs as well as low notes. After making it to the top as a mezzo-soprano, it was time to move on. Like her peer, Grace Bumbry (with whom she was never really a rival, simply a rumor circulated by the media) she began training for the repertoire of dramatic soprano. Now, at last, she was ready to take on the same roles as her other idol, Maria Callas. Though Leontyne Price had already mastered the roles of Aida, Tosca, Leonora in Trovatore and Forza Del Destino, etc, Verrett was ready to hold her own.
   
   Indeed, her stamina and committment served her well. A hard-working and talented artist, she nailed the soprano roles of Bellini's Norma (in a much acclaimed San Francisco Opera performance in 1978 which is also under a live recording) and Tosca which unfortunately was never captured on recording or video/film. As Norma she is passionate, intense, majestic and appropriately dramatic. She tells us of visits to Maria Callas' Paris apartment she inhabited in the late 70's shortly before her highly publicized death. Callas adviced her and Montserrat Caballe not to overdo Norma. Verrett took the advice to heart and was harks back to Callas in her performance, but with a lot more fluidity and better diction to the text. Caballe would do Norma much more than Verrett ever did. As Tosca, she is equally as passionate and intense. I personally dislike that the Italian press in Milan dubbed her "La Negra Callas" when she performed in La Scala, as if color was something people just had to point out. Verrett would go on to master the role of Aida and the heroine in Dialogue De Carmelites. She sang at least 3 times with Beverly Sills, with whom she had a great friendship (as the Lady Jane Seymour in the recording of Anna Bolena, as Adalgisa opposite Sill's Norma and as Neocle in Sill's Met debut in L'Assedio Di Corinto. She worked with the great Leyla Gencer, an underrated but outstanding dramatic diva (as Queen Elizabeth I in Maria Stuarda) and also with Caballe in Lucrezia Borgia. She sounded rather good opposite Placido Domingo in operas as Samson And Delilah and L'Africaine. Her last great role was as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana. Retired, she looks back at her impressive career. She now coaches voice, is a great doner to charitable causes and a spokesperson for opera. This was a truly great book and I loved reading about her experience, which proved how persistence and integrity are eventually rewarded. My favorite moment- her parents, previously rejecting the "material world" and opera too, finally come to see their daughter in a performance of Carmen.



3. Having read biographies of Sutherland and Caballe, I was happy to add Shirley Verrett's to the collection. Unlike some other opera memoirs, this is a very quick read. Verrett is not the kind to mince words, nor dramatize a situation. Sure, there were some details about certain stagings and colleagues that I would have liked to have learned more about, but the brevity of the writing allows you to read the entire book in just a couple of sittings.
   
   Of all the stories she tells about relationships with other singers, most interesting of all is her "rivalry" with Grace Bumbry. Verrett hits it on the mark when she compares the much-hyped rivalry as being the equivalent of two black racehorses. It is an apt analogy, even if Verrett undermines the parallels between her career vis-a-vis Bumbry's. We're not just talking about two black opera singers. We are talking about two mezzos who often switched fachs, were as comfortable singing bel canto as they were singing Verdi, and whose signature roles overlapped (Eboli, Amneris, etc.) So, by default, controversy was bound to happen. In the end, they became friends, but the story of the rivalry is very compelling.
   
   There are a couple of things that I don't like about this memoir. First, Verrett (and/or Mr. Brooks) has a bad habit of repeating information that you just read about a page or two earlier. The most blatant example is how she describes the increasing difficulty to pack opera houses. She mentions that even Joan Sutherland had trouble filling a house to capacity. Then, a couple of chapters later, she mentions that even Joan Sutherland had trouble filling a house to capacity(!)
   
   Speaking of Sutherland, she also slights her in a paragraph where she gives her opinions of how critical acting is to a role, especially Norma. Verrett talks about how one critic faulted her diction when she sand Norma in San Fransisco. Verrett opines that the critic must have "another" soprano in mind that he preferred, which we understand is Sutherland, although Shirley never mentions her by name. Shirley declares that diction was this soprano's great weakness, and dismisses her acting ability by saying she acted "from the neck up". This is a valid point to make, but I am a Sutherlandphile, and feel that the Sutherland temperment was often underestimated.
   
   All in all, this is a wonderful autobiography, of an artist hailed by the Italians as "La Nera Callas". She is very frank about the opportunities she let go by, including an exclusive contract with RCA. Funny how so many of the opera recordings we treasure were almost cast differently; if Verrett hadn't walked out on her contract, she would have recorded Preziosilla and Amneris opposite Leontyne Price, instead of Cossotto and Bumbry.



4. You no doubt know the basics of what the book is about and you've read that Ms. Verrett is utterly honest and candid in every sentence of the book.

   What this means to me -- this is not only a book that is nearly impossible to put down (if you're interested in operatic performance and the personalities therein), it is also a book that lingers in the mind. Also, I can't remember a book that has generated so much conversation among friends. If you're of a certain age, this book will call up memories of gossip and legends that were hot topics in the 70's and 80's and will give you new insights on the truth behind them.

   I will enjoy keeping this book on my shelf to refer back to as we talk about our memories for a long time.




5. Shirley Verrett, now 70 and teaching voice at U Michigan, had one of the most beautiful and best trained mezzo voices I've ever heard. And she was able to sing many soprano roles as well. Her book is a delight. It contains Ms. Verrett's frank remarks about her career, her fellow singers, and those involved in the production side of great music. Her views on the way many productions of CARMEN mistakenly focus the audience's attention on Don José (which I fully agree with) were already known to me from a bio-pic of her which I already owned, but I was very pleased to see them restated in print. Readers will learn about her relationship with Maria Callas, her supposed rivalry with Grace Bumbry, and much, much more. Well-chosen photos grace this book, and a good index helps one follow whatever threads one chooses. One thing that I would like to have seen is a complete listing of her recordings, even though they were released on LPs and most have not been reissued on CDs--yet. If I could have TWO wishes, the other would be that a CD with even two or three tracks had been included with the book so that readers would have a chance to hear her marvelous, rich voice.

2 comments about Character Building (An African American Heritage Book).

1. Proves that some kinds of advice are timeless. If you are reading a historical review of the man's life, you should read his own words too.



2. This is a collection of BTW's Sunday sermons to his Tuskegee students. Originally published in 1902, the lessons on thrift, clean living, sharing what you learn with others, the need to read, and the value of education of the heart as well as the head are still valuable a century later. Does not date too badly and with so many young people growing up today without this kind of advice in the home, it's needed just as much today.

   Many uninformed people dismiss BTW as an "Uncle Tom," but the publication of more of his writings like this will show that in spite of any faults, he was a very useful person in the upliftment of people. Read it and see.

5 comments about Unspeakable: The Story of Junius Wilson (Caravan Book).

1. I was amazed what a page-turner this was, for a story so carefully documented. Even so I found myself frequently in the middle of a deep muse pondering what his story teaches us about communication, isolation and contingency, not to mention injustice stemming from racism and patriarchal attitudes toward the minority who communicate without speech. I noticed I was also learning a surprising amount about broader social and historical movements (American, southern, racial, psychiatric, deaf cultural, and more), without ever feeling bogged down. Truly impressive.



2. I learned much about the social movements that I've long found fascinating (reconstruction, Jim Crow South, the KKK), have been a part of (mental health, deinstitutionalization, disability rights & ADA) or been close to (deaf culture). How inspired of the authors to recognize that this one man's life story could illustrate so much modern American social history. I was profoundly moved by the suffering, silent dignity and enduring humanity of Junius Wilson. This is an elegant, revealing and vivid story.



3. Burch and Joyner have produced a wonderful example of what historical research can teach us. Mr. Wilson's story is heartbreaking but treated with respect and a gentle touch by this authors. The horrors experienced by this man speak for themselves and artfully told by these researchers and writers. This is a book that will appeal to many for many different reasons and leave all shaken. Perhaps it will also inspire others to help make the future brighter for others. I can think of no better use of historical facts than to improve the future.



4. i happpened to move to wilmington, n.c just when this story was coming to light in the press. i was gripped by the story and read every article that came out in follow up. when this book came out i had to have it.
   to find out a deaf man was treated this way for a crime he did not commit is just.....well uspeakable.
   the begining starts with a nice history of area and people. a lot of the begining is spectulaion and dead on at that. no one will ever know what junius' thoughts were in those early years. the story becomes more gripping when the facts start to arrive, via medical reports and staff and friends. it is truly a heartbreaking read. it still haunts me.
   i recommend to everyone. the book is a nice piece of historical racial record. schools should add this to their curriculum.



5. It's a Southern horror story, and a courtroom drama, and an exploration of language and isolation, and a biography of an ordinary man caught in a senseless system. And it's all true. And it's frightening, and it's fascinating. It's the twentieth century US, through one man's story.

5 comments about The Autobiography of Butch Jones Y.B.I. Youngs Boys Inc..

1. Om my i just loved this book, i will read it over and over again and will and have recomended this to many people, the price was ok and the shipping was faster then i had thought it would be..love it not second guess buying this book



2. Gives you a real eye account of the Drug Dealing and Killing in the streets of inner city Detroit Great Read very easy to follow



3. Unlike,the fabricated,contrived tales of these so-called"gangsta rappers"(better known,as"STUDIO-gangstas,in the hoods of Detroit)this book tells of the REAL-deal of street hustlin' along with the not-so glamorous consequences'of life in the"game"...If you're looking for a bunch of gangsta "fairytales"like T.I. and a lot of other rappers' from the "Dirty South"(better known as the"Downy-Soft"by those in Detroit who KNOW,that Atlanta,Memphis and New Orleans are comparatively "SOFTER"than pharmacy cotton.and "SWEETER"than FOUR bake-sales!!)like to spit out then this book is not for you!!As a lifetime Detroiter,I personally knew about how "ruthless"the Young Boys were,and I also knew that wandering over into their hood was a SUICIDAL move to say the least!!These cats had MUCH respect,from one corner of "tha D"to the other!!Their status in Detroits' history is LEGENDARY,and this great book shows you why!!



4. I enjoyed reading this book. I know some of the people that are mentioned in the book and I can recall when all of this was going on. I now have a vision of what happened from the inside out and why things went down the way they did,as was viewed by Butch himself. I reccommened parents of all urban youth to get a copy of this book and let their offspring read and educate them on the pitfalls of the BIG MONEY, DRUG SELLING LIFESTYLE.



5. I have yet to read the book but i am planning on it very soon. I am 39 and i not only lived in detroit during that time, but i was indirectly associated with several members of the group. I am proud and glad to see butch turn things around and tell this story. I am hoping that so called "tough guys " read this book and learn from it, learn ! I am in a carrer where i try to help young people overcome mental health issues and problems in the streets and in the homes. Because of my past it;s easier to connect with these children. This book is another step in continuing to open the eyes of our kids. Thanks.

5 comments about Black Ice.

1. This book is interesting, and the author actually spoke at my school (Temple University) which was awesome. She goes into detail within the book and leaves you guessing.



2. This book is horrible. The writing is badly done, and it is so drawn out and boring. It felt like one hour to read one chapter it was so bad.



3. 
   This review is for the students. The title of the book is Black Ice and the author of the book is Lorene Cary. To me I say this book was very interesting. The reason why was interesting, because it talked about how blacks and whites used to be segregated. They were both segregated and both races were treated differently. For example, the whites had better facilities then the blacks. That is why I thought the novel was interesting, but others who might have read this book over the summer maybe they did not think this book was as interesting. Therefore, I say this book is not made for everyone to read the masterpiece, just because one person may like the book does not mean that everyone likes the story. If someone who has not yet read the novel but would like to it would be better if they asked someone who has already read the book if the text would be a good novel for them to read or not to read. The student who has not yet read the publication would need to know what the text is about so they can determine if they would like to read the novel or not read it.
   The students who may like to read about how people different races are treated differently. They might like to read this novel to learn more about all of their backgrounds.



4. Dear peer,
   The first thing that you need to know about Black Ice is the author which is Lorene Gary. I liked this book because I learned that you can make mistakes of doing drugs, but you can quit just in time to have a better future.
   This book is about a girl named Libby; she went to a boarding school at St. Paul's High
   School. She once went to a forest to smoke weed and pot with a group of friends. Also in this text Libby was forced to have relationship with this boy. He gave Libby a necklace of engagement, because he really liked her a lot. But Libby did not like him, so she threw the necklace away and Libby's mom picked it up and she wore it on her neck.
   This story is short in length, but difficult to read. It was difficult because, a lot of event happens in every chapter and you have to read it carefully so that you could know what is happening.
   My opinion about this text is that it is very interesting and it kept me entertained while I was reading the story. That is my opinion and the reason I think this book is very interesting because, I like reading Auto-Biographies. I really enjoyed reading this publication about Libby life.
   Thank you peer for taking your time and reading this essay. I hope you make your decision and read this book. So that you could know everything that happens in this master pieace.



5. The author of Black Ice is Lorene Cary. This book is mostly about racism, and a young girl named Lorene being highly educated] and working with whites in a restaurant. I think anybody older than twelve and up will enjoy this text; Black Ice was mostly talking about Lorene's childhood.
   This book was quiet interesting. In order to see if a book is going to be good, read the reference page. If its interesting then read the first page. If you not, ask for assistance.
   This novel will be a good book for fifth graders. It will help them know more about the past between blacks, and whites. It will help increase your vocabulary, and give you more history out of the story. By a chance, you will probably enjoy reading Lorene Cary's autobiography of her childhood life.

5 comments about Mr. and Mrs. Prince: How an Extraordinary Eighteenth-Century Family Moved Out of Slavery and into Legend.

1. I love the book, however I agree with the reviewer who mentioned the "creative" context used by the author, and with the reviewer who believes there's just not enough information from the available records to try to create such a full story. It is a WONDERFUL story of Mr. and Mrs. Prince of Massachusetts who were able to move out of slavery by hard work and a little help from others in their lives. The problem I have with the book is that the author fills in a lot of the blanks about how Mr. and Mrs. Prince "must have" felt about their lives. There's just no way the author can fill in those blanks. To do that from where we sit today has no basis in the reality of a life lived then. The story is wonderful, it should be told, but the author really has no business judging 18th century lives and the "possible feelings" of the central characters based on today's intellect. I highly recommend reading the book, it is well written and obviously was a labor of love for the author and her husband. The story is good enough to tell it like it is from what is known, don't embellish with fiction.



2. Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina is a wonderful writer, & I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the amazingly creative ways she & her husband were able to interpret the sadly spotty record of Abijah & Lucy Prince's lives. But what was lacking was much context. How much did their experience as free blacks differ from their white neighbors'? Did other families in western New England at the time face many of the same personal & financial hardships?
   
   Yet while more historical background would have benefited the book, Ms. Gerzina tended to be repetitive, as if she felt she needed to pad her material.
   
   In spite of that "Mr. & Mrs. Prince" is well worth reading.



3. 
   I applaud the author for attempting to write a book about Mr. & Mrs. Prince, whose lives certainly seem worth chronicling, but the thing is there's not enough information provided in the book to actually flesh the characters out . . . to make the reader connect, even a little bit.
   
   And yes, I do understand that the author did try to get information, and she details all the sources she pored through to find out more about this remarkable couple, but records back in that day simply didn't have too much information about free blacks.
   
   The result? A worthy attempt, but with so little meat I think this would have been a much better long magazine article than even a short book.



4. The story of Mr. and Mrs. Prince is incredible. I didn't know anything about them or their legend status until now. Gerzine has done something that few writers have done---seamlessly weave the historical narrative with the actual experience of researching the material. I was drawn in by the dialogue and the meticulous research. Through this book, the author counters our longstanding views of slavery in America during the 18th century. At other times the details provided are in line with the traditional historical records of slavery in America. I couldn't put the book down and often woke up in the middle of night to read another chapter or two and go back to bed. Buy the book, read it, and pass it on to someone else. The story of the Princes' is one that should be read by everyone.



5. MR. and MRS. PRINCE is an extraordinary achievement. Meticulously researched and engagingly written, it uncovers a fascinating chapter in 18th-century African American literature. The story of the Princes, New England slaves whose trajectory takes them from bondage to farm ownership, is both the story of the struggles of all settlers in the north frontier during the Indian Wars and that of a brave African American couple establishing a life together and raising a large family against seemingly insurmountable odds. Told against the story of how, through painstaking research, the author and her husband were able to piece together the details of the Princes' lives (an adventure in itself), the book blends two fascinating narratives into one. As the narrative interweaves the moving story of the Princes with that of the two researchers indefatigable following every lead, the book lovingly evokes the past and present of a broad section of New England. The result is an extraordinary story of historical recovery and contemporary detective work that displays what couples working together can accomplish through hard work and determination. It is simply impossible to put the book down.